On March 19, the Academic Regional Puppet Theater in Lviv decided to no longer use the state awards “Honored Artist” and “People’s Artist”. The collective also appealed to the Ministry of Culture with an appeal to cancel such an award system at the state level. The Lviv Puppet Theater reported this on its Facebook page.
The initiator of this decision was the theater’s chief director Yana Tytarenko, and she was supported by the theater’s artistic director Ulyana Moroz, as well as the cast. The theater emphasized that although these titles are state awards awarded by the President of Ukraine, the system itself comes from the Soviet model of awards, which, according to them, “served as a tool of control to make artists “convenient”, manageable, “tamed” and encourage them to “serve” the regime.”
“We are convinced that the system of these honorary titles is an outdated colonial mechanism that does not guarantee artistic quality, but instead is often based on lobbying and opaque procedures. As part of the decolonization of culture, we must finally “unstick” this Soviet rudiment. This practice is an obvious anachronism that does not exist in European countries,” the statement said.
The team also believes that this is also related to the issue of discredit, since Russian artists received such awards already during the time of independent Ukraine, which, in their opinion, put Ukrainian artists “on a par with representatives of the colonizer’s culture.”
The theater emphasized that they advocate transparent competition, professional assessment and recognition from the professional community, as well as artistic awards with clearly defined criteria and authoritative expert councils.
“For us, this is a conscious choice in favor of decolonizing culture, in which the main values are freedom creativity, professional dignity and transparent principles of recognition. The team’s decision is in no way intended to devalue the professional achievements or talents of those who hold these titles, because it is about rejecting an outdated system, not denying someone’s personal contribution to culture,” the statement said.
The title of “Honored Artist” is awarded “for high performing skills, the creation of highly artistic images, performances, and films that have become part of the national cultural and artistic heritage.” It is equivalent to the degree of a candidate of sciences.
The title of “People’s Artist” can be obtained only 10 years after being awarded the title of “Honored”. A person must also demonstrate high performing skills and create a cultural product that has gained international recognition, or has contributed to the development of cultural heritage in the country. This title is equivalent to the title of professor.
